1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a method and apparatus for processing solid waste such as created during the operation of a hog farm.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
Hog farms are especially prevalent in about a dozen states, one being North Carolina which ranks number two in the nation and raises about 17 million hogs annually. A typical hog farm creates many tons of solid waste daily. For example, in a farm with 3,000 hogs, it is to be expected that the hogs will generate 6.3 tons a day of solid waste and currently that waste is being disposed of through dumping into lagoons and after a certain amount of sedimentation, pumping the surface water up onto farm acreage. This is an archaic way of disposing of hog waste and one that damages the environment by contaminating the ground water. It is becoming so much of an issue that most states have passed moratoriums preventing any new production hog farms and are threatening to shut down existing farms if a solution to the problem is not found.
Another environmental concern is the prevalence of waste tires which have become a problem to our society as the United States public uses approximately 250 million tires a year and has stockpiled, legally and illegally throughout the nation, approximately 6 billion tires. Tires are currently banned from landfills because they do not decompose and our country is desperately searching for environmentally friendly uses for waste tires. Currently tire are shred to make tire derived fuel (TDF), septic tank drain field use, daily landfill cover, crumb rubber and construction materials such as EcoBlocks.
With the above concerns in mind, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a method of efficiently processing solid waste collected from farms, specifically hog farms.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a disposal site for used tires as an alternative to land fill disposal.
It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus which helps facilitate the processing of solid animal waste.
It is yet a further objective of the present invention to provide a method of processing solid waste using EcoBlocks made from waste tires which have been determined by the States of Virginia and North Carolina to be construction materials having economic value.
These and other objectives and advantages will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawing.